The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for fabricating food items, particularly to apparatus and methods for fabricating food items including food supported on support material, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for fabricating a coil of food supported on support material.
The sale of snack-type food products is a highly competitive business. In addition to the particular food components, increasingly the novelty and play value of the product are important in the marketability of any particular food item. For example, many foods such as dehydrated fruit puree are formed in a strip of a thinness generally requiring external support. One manner for increasing the novelty and play value of such foods is to roll the support material and the food supported thereon into a coil creating a novelty form of merchandizing for that food. Particularly, fruit-based snack products such as FRUIT ROLL-UPS.TM. fruit products have found wide market acceptance. Likewise, FRUIT-BY-THE-FOOT.TM. fruit-based snack products such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,205,106; 5,284,667; 5,455,053 and 5,723,163 have similarly found wide market acceptance. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,175 recognized the enhanced marketability of-chewing gum in the form of a rolled-up tape allowing the consumer the chance to break off the desired size of piece to chew, saving the rest for later.
Another manner for increasing the novelty and play value of such foods is to deposit the food onto the support material in a shape, with the support material retaining the shape of the food but with the food being peelable from the support material in a manner to increase the play value of the food item. Particularly, fruit-based snack products of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,752,364; 5,755,077; or 5,846,588 have found market acceptance.
In addition to the form of the food item, the characteristics of the food itself can add to the novelty and play value and thus the marketability of any particular food item. For example, in addition to the shape of the product, coloration and other visual factors can be utilized to affect the appearance of the food item. Similarly, variations in taste between different portions of the food in the particular food item will clearly have an impact on marketability of the food items. However, as the food is often desired to be fabricated as a single step for each particular food item, variations in characteristics of the food in any particular food item is difficult to fabricate, especially when such variations are desired to be consistent between food items.
Further, many foods are shaped and/or deposited on the support material at elevated temperatures. However, it is often desired that the particular food components include temperature sensitive ingredients such as but not limited to certain vitamins. It is then desired that such ingredients be topically applied separate from the formation and deposit of the food.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel apparatus and methods for the fabrication of food items, which in the preferred form include a thin strip of food deposited on a strip of support material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus and methods where the characteristics of the food which is continuously being deposited on a web of support material is varied by contact with a topical application either on the support material before the deposit of the food or on the food itself after the deposit of the food. In most preferred forms, the topical application is in the form of a flavor which is different than the original flavor of the food deposited on the support material. Alternately or additionally, the topical application can include temperature sensitive ingredients or fortification ingredients which are desired to be added to the food after its formulation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide food items which are fabricated by such methods.